"With those who do not give a damn about baseball, I can only sympathize. I do not resent them. I am even willing to concede that many of them are physically clean, good to their mothers, and in favor of world peace. But while the game is on, I can't think of anything to say to them."

So my amazing sister (I've mentioned her before, yeah?) has stepped up to the plate and hit a homerun.

[THAT'S WHAT THE EXPRESSION SHOULD BE. STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE AND (fill in clutch achievement here)] Sigh. The war on figurative speech is futile. This guy knows how I feel.

Since today was what felt like the millionth consecutive day I couldn't listen to or watch the game in its entirety, I pulled myself out of the lineup, and Laur/Babe Dahlgren came through for me, as always.

(My dad, on the other hand, wasn't as accommodating during this hectic time of my life. Knowing that I'm in all likelihood mere moments away from seeing someone about a Section 8, he calls and says, "So I guess you heard about Arod's 600th, huh." WHAT?!! "Yeah he hit 600...IN BATTING PRACTICE.")

Yeah, not your best work, Dad.

Anyways, so here's Guest Blog Post #2 from today's Chevy Player of the Game.

Thanks, Laur. You're cool, and it makes me smile.

GUEST BLOG (IN 2 PARTS)by Laur

Part 1: Game notes

People left the stadium when they’re team was down by 1 in the top of the 9th inning, after A-Rod’s at bat. Shameful.

A-Rod got a nice solid single that bizarrely was called a double play. When Girardi goes out to argue with the ump that the ball CLEARLY bounced, and was therefore not CAUGHT nor eligible for double-play-making, he probably felt like this guy with the donkey

Cano has been intentionally walked 11 times this season. That leads the league. Badass. It’s up there with:

a. Hitting a homerun on a 3-0 count (which I know Kris doesn’t support. Shhh)b. This

There are so many more important things that happened in this game, but it’s my post and I’ll do what I want with it.

Part 2: The Importance of Being Curtis

I love A-Rod more than the first day of summer and free bloody marys at Sunday brunch. There have been moments when I loved him more than my birthday and getting promoted.

I will love him if he never hits another HR or if he hits 6 thousand home runs.

But it isn’t easy to love A-Rod. It’s easy to love Curtis.

I know Kris has a mild obsession with one of the Curtis’s. Curtises. Curti. Hmpf.

Anyway, so Kris is obsessed with Colin Curtis.

He’s got that fresh-faced wonder that feels very pure and green. In his post-game interviews, he acts like he got to play with the Yankees by winning his local newspaper’s essay contest. And because of that, he responds to his success in real, uncut emotion.

"There's definitely things in life that still scare you," he said, "But when it comes to things like dealing with all the failure in baseball, it helps you get over it and just be thankful you're playing."

Stuff like that is why people are allllways saying it’s the young guys that keep the game fun to watch. Tot me, just as refreshing is someone who feels comfortable being a player, who shows up and knows what it means to wear pinstripes, who plays the game with grace.

And in fairness, that isn’t always A-Rod.

But from what I’ve seen, it is Curtis Granderson.

The fact that he’s shown up and delivered for the Yanks, like he did tonight by homering to score the winning run, is the first piece. To be fair, no amount of grace is going to win my heart if you haven’t gotten it done on the field in any meaningful way. So to start, Curtis contributes. What makes him so awesome to me though, is how he composes himself otherwise.

People looove Jeter because he’s such a great guy, he doesn’t run his mouth, he says the right thing. I’m not going to argue that. But to me, Jeter just doesn’t seem as gracious as Granderson. Maybe it’s because he’s been dealing with the NY press for this long. And don’t kill me, b/c I obviously recognize Jeter’s a ridiculously fantastic person and baseball player…but there are times when it can seems like he’s going through the motions.

Anyway. The point is, NY has had mixed emotions about Curtis Granderson. But in baseball, like in life, it’s important to be surrounded by people who are upright, earnest, and positive.